PH Teams Brave Challenges at Shell Eco-Marathon Regional Leg

MANILA: The Philippine teams participating in the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Asia-Pacific and the Middle East 2023 continue to strive hard to improve their chances of winning the regional competition.

SEM Asia-Pacific and the Middle East 2023 is being held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia.

76 teams from 13 countries, including the two teams from Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila (PUP) and University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD), are competing at the event.

SEM seeks to motivate the “Changemakers of Tomorrow” to create innovative solutions for a sustainable future by challenging them to design, produce, and test energy-efficient vehicles.

“We believe that with determination and hard work, the students can accomplish incredible things for their countries. The competition allows them to focus their efforts and creativity in advancing technology in the field of energy-efficient vehicles which is essential for a cleaner energy future,” Shell Asia-Pacific Vice President for Corporate Relations Sean Winnet stated.

The teams have been developing their vehicles for the competition since the event began on July 4.

“We feel so excited. It seems like this will be another chance for us to bounce back from what happened last year. Although we won an off-track award last year, this time we want to make sure that our best will turn into something more rewarding,” PUP Hygears Team Driver Edward Brian Custodio stated.

Meanwhile, UPHSD ALTAS Valor Team Reserve Driver Emelito Montano said, “We want to achieve the expectations of the people who supported us from the very beginning. First, we want to pass the technical inspection, have a valid run, and get good results from that valid run.”

All competing teams must pass the Technical Inspection phase before entering the racetrack. PUP Hygears’s Luna IV is a contender in the Urban Concept Battery Electric category. Meanwhile, UPHSD ALTAS Valor’s Avalon falls under the Prototype Internal Combustion Engine category.

The winners of the regional leg will compete at the World Championship of SEM in India in October.

Shell also organized a panel discussion titled “Future of Mobility with Zero Emission” on the sidelines of SEM Asia Pacific and the Middle East 2023 to talk about Indonesia's mobility journey toward net-zero emissions and how government, small-medium enterprises, and the industry may participate in making this journey.

The members of the panel included Shell Indonesia President and Director Ingird Siburian; Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia Conservation Energy Director and New, Renewable, and Conservation Energy Directorate General Gigih Udi Atmo; and McKinsey & Company Senior Expert on Sustainability Rahul Gupta.

Photos from Shell Philippines

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